Culinary Arts Students Cook Up Win for Fife College

Successful students from Fife College have returned from the States

HNC Professional Cookery student, Sadie Colley, (19) from Ladybank and former student Thomas Macneil, (22) from Leven travelled to Grand Rapids in Michigan with their lecturer, Michael Henderson to support Team Scotland and compete against countries from all across the globe. The biennual competition, which involved the students taking part in a range of different cooking and hospitality challenges, aims to support professional and cultural learning for the chefs of the future.

Sadie and Thomas were faced with three days of intense challenges which included being presented with six ‘mystery baskets’ filled with ingredients which they were then asked to use to prepare a five-star meal in a limited time frame.

The students received two gold, two silver and three bronze medals overall which was due to their outstanding performance in the competition, particularly in the final task which was a Gala dinner. The students worked together and utilised their skills to prepare delicious haggis bon bons, to represent their home country, which were served to 170 guests.

Sadie thoroughly enjoyed her time at the competition which has given her the experience necessary to succeed in such a competitive industry. Sadie said: “I am so grateful to Fife College for giving me this wonderful, invaluable experience. This really was a once in a life time opportunity and even if I had only attended and observed, it still would have really enhanced my confidence and passion for the industry.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard how successful we had been in the competition! As someone who is still learning and relatively new to the industry, this is a great way to kick-off my career and it will be an experience that I will always remember.”

Thomas, who is currently studying at Abertay University, was also delighted with their success at the competition and hopes this will help him progress to employment after he gains his degree. Said Thomas: “The competition, although extremely challenging, was a great experience that has put me in a good position to get a great job after university. Travelling to America and meeting talented professionals from all over the world was an opportunity that I will never forget.”

Curriculum Manager for Culinary Arts at Fife College, Lindsey Robertson is thrilled with the students’ success and wishes them the very best with the rest of their studies and their careers. Said Lindsey: “Sadie and Thomas should be extremely proud of themselves. They have expressed great enthusiasm and passion for their studies at College which has led to them to develop the crucial, industry level skills needed to thrive in industry recognised competitions and ultimately in employment.”

Applications are now open for courses starting at Fife College in January 2018. This includes SVQ Professional Cookery and many more.